Junior forward Hannah Stuelke led the No. 22 Iowa Hawkeyes to a commanding 68-48 victory over the BYU Cougars in Cancun on Friday night. Stuelke scored 16 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out three assists to help Iowa remain undefeated at 8-0.
Iowa’s Strong Start and Second-Half Surge
The Hawkeyes opened strong, leading 16-10 after the first quarter and holding onto a six-point advantage through the second quarter despite scoring only nine points. After a nearly three-minute scoring drought, Stuelke hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer, giving Iowa a 25-19 halftime lead, with 11 of those points coming from Stuelke.
In the second half, Iowa exploded offensively, scoring 43 points, with Stuelke adding a second three-pointer late in the third quarter to notch her 14th point. The team shot 47.1% from the field and 47.8% from three-point range.
Overcoming Adversity Without Olsen
The Hawkeyes played without point guard Lucy Olsen, who missed her second consecutive game due to a knee injury. Stuelke stepped up in Olsen’s absence, saying, “Without Lucy, I had to step up a little bit more… We came out, played great, and I’m really proud of us.”
Defensive Dominance
Iowa’s defense was key, holding BYU to just 5-of-25 shooting in the first half, leading to a 25-16 halftime lead. The Cougars became the fifth team Iowa has held under 60 points this season and the second team kept under 50.
Despite committing 16 turnovers in the first half and 23 total for the game, the Hawkeyes tightened up in the second half, limiting themselves to just seven turnovers. Iowa outrebounded BYU 37-28, with a strong 78.4% defensive rebounding rate.
Looking Ahead
The Hawkeyes will next face Tennessee at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as part of the Women’s Champion Classic. The game is set for 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, airing on FOX. Coach Jan Jensen praised her team’s resilience without Olsen, saying, “I’m so happy for the win because of the adversity without Lucy Olsen.”
SOURCE: Sportkeeda.com
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